Incongruous
by mischief maker 2.0
Summary: If normal relationships are illogical matters of the heart, Sakura has no idea how to describe hers. [NaruSaku]


**A/N**: This is one of those bunnies that bit while I was trying to sleep and practically wrote itself. Reworded just a little so I could post it here.  
**Pairing**: NaruSaku  
**Warnings**: masturbation, exhibitionism, some _odd_ behavior for the characters involved, not my usual style, canon warped slightly to fit my whim  
**Spoilers**: if you haven't read through chapter 310  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto which should be apparent from the fact that I keep writing it as something better suited in the Icha Icha series.

--

When it first happened, Sakura didn't know what to think. What was she supposed to think after waking up with Naruto's hand down her shorts, fingers drawing lazy but effective circles over her most intimate places? Naturally, she freaked out. Pushed him away and scrambled off her bedroll and into the nearest private space which happened to be the narrow porch outside their room.

What the hell was _that_?! Her back slid down against the side of the building as she sat with her legs splayed out in front of her and stared out at the early morning mist hanging just above the neighboring field.

_Why_ would he do that? It was so unlike Naruto. Or at least the Naruto she remembered; he had been gone with Jiraiya for almost three years after all. This was their first mission together after all that time with a new teammate, a new team leader, and their bed rolls shoved next to each other as they both seemed to latch onto the nostalgia and familiarity of it all.

Sakura rubbed distractedly at her brow. That still doesn't explain why it happened. Or why she hadn't woken up sooner. She sighed. The only remotely logical reason she could muster was that on some subconscious level, her body recognized it was Naruto and deemed it a non-threat, because years of training would never allow for mistakes like that. If it had been an enemy…. well, she didn't want to think about that.

She squirmed uncomfortably a little on her spot on the wooden walkway, her body humming with agitation, and she told herself it was just anger over what'd happened and had nothing to do with the fact that he'd brought her surprisingly close – the undulating of her hips had been the thing that had finally pulled her into the waking world.

The door slid open next to her, and Sakura immediately turned in its direction and watched Naruto's head poke first followed shortly by the rest of him. After closing the door behind him, he then took a seat on the walkway as well, leaving some distance between them.

"This isn't how I'd pictured it either, ya know."

"What? Did you expect me to wake up and in a fit of hormones, decide to jump you?"

Naruto winced at that, and the reaction satisfied her a little. "Of course not! I meant that I always thought if anything ever happened it would be deliberate, not because I woke up with my hand between your legs."

She snorted in disbelief at his convenient reasoning.

"Okay, yeah, I stuck my hand down your pants. I was awake for that, but that's not where it started, okay?" He sighed and turned his eyes up to the overhang sheltering them from the drizzle that had just begun to fall. "When I woke up, my hand was… there. I tried to move it without waking you up, because one, it's a little embarrassing, ya know, and two, I knew you'd kill me. Why do you think I waited a few minutes before following you out here?"

She said nothing. Just waited for him to continue, because she needed to understand what happened between them and why and how to make sure it never, ever happened again.

"Anyway, when I tried to move my hand, you… reacted to it."

"I did not!" she gasped, horrified that he would even suggest such a thing.

Naruto turned toward her then, the expression on his face saying 'yeah, right' just as clearly as if he'd vocalized the words. "It wasn't porn-quality moaning or anything, but it was there! Anyway, I… I know it sure as hell wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done, but I thought I could do something for you since you seemed to…." His voice trailed off as he turned his gaze down at his feet (away from her) and began absently picking at a string hanging from his pajama pants. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to take advantage or anything, I promise."

Sakura only nodded.

--

That night Sakura made sure her bedroll was a healthy distance from Naruto's. She would've preferred the opposite wall of the room, but that would've drawn the attention of Yamato and Sai, and she didn't want either of them (or anyone else for that matter) butting their noses into this particular issue.

She lied down with her back facing Naruto and her blanket wrapped around her so tightly she'd have to unroll herself to get out. And then she waited. And waited. And waited, but sleep wouldn't come. She sighed and loosened the cocoon of her blanket a little. It didn't help. She rolled onto her back, but all that accomplished was her staring at the ceiling for what seemed like an hour. She kept hearing the occasional rustle coming from Naruto, and Sakura finally spared a quick glance in his direction. He was lying on his stomach with his pillow over his head apparently having trouble sleeping as well.

She finally fell asleep wondering what was keeping him awake.

--

The next day was business as usual aside from two somewhat sleepy members of the new team seven. Naruto was ridiculously short with Sai even for him, but Sakura couldn't really blame him. She was rather irritable herself. All it took was one unfavorable comment about Sasuke for her to lay him out flat. She supposed she might feel guilty about it later when she was more reasonable, but right then, she couldn't be bothered to care. Sai and Yamato were nice people, but they were not part of her team. The fact that she was angry with most of her former team at the moment was irrelevant.

Nighttime came and with it the accompanying exhaustion from the previous night's insomnia. Sakura was practically asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

--

The next night, though, all the previous awkwardness was completely forgotten. Having found Sasuke, having him attack them then willfully leave with Orochimaru once again _hurt_. Sakura's whole chest ached, and she found herself morbidly wishing it had been caused by a wound from Sasuke's sword. She could heal physical pain at least.

When they stopped for sleep, she laid her bedroll right next to Naruto's, bad feelings be damned. She needed the closeness of her other teammate, and she knew he needed it, too.

They lied there facing each other for the longest time without saying a word. What could be said? She was pretty sure she'd said it all earlier as they sobbed amongst the rubble of Orochimaru's hide-out.

She scooted closer, nestled her head under his chin and against his chest as she wrapped an arm around his waist. It seemed to be all the reassurance he needed as he sagged against her, his feet tangling with hers and his arms tightly wrapping around her. She could feel her hair moving with each breath he took, and pressing her nose into his shirt, she inhaled deeply the scent of cheap laundry detergent, sweat, and Naruto.

It was odd, she thought, to find comfort in being so _engulfed_ by him especially after what had happened only a few days prior. His words echoed through her head once again. _I thought I could do something for you since you seemed to…_

Burying her face into her teammate's chest, Sakura made a decision.

She listened for a moment to the breathing of the room's other two occupants, and when she was certain they were asleep, she wiggled out of Naruto's grasp just enough so he could see her lips as she mouthed, "I want you to touch me."

Sakura somewhat expected him to be surprised, so when he went rigid and wide-eyed half a second later, she smiled.

She did not, however, expect him to turn his back to her right after that.

"I won't lose to him," was the only explanation given as his hand disappeared into his own pants. She watched for a moment in disbelief as his arm jerked hastily before she swallowed the lump in her throat and moved back to her own bedroll.

The distance between them had never been greater even though he was only an arm's length away.

--

Not speaking to him the following day was easier than Sakura had imagined it would be. The only one talking was Sai, and it was easy enough to ignore him while she was wallowing in her own grief.

What had she been thinking last night? Only two days before she had vowed to never get within _touching_ distance of Naruto again, and yet there she was asking him to do it! Had seeing Sasuke messed with her head that much? Did seeing its effect on Naruto trigger some misguided need to console him? Was that really the _best_ way she could think of for them to comfort each other? She's heard of people doing stupid things when they're depressed, but that was pure insanity!

Yamato called out to Naruto, and like always, the smile was in place as he responded. She couldn't help but wonder how many of the smiles she'd seen in the past were that fake. Or maybe it was genuine, and he just had no ill feelings toward their new team leader. That thought dug deeply into her gut, and to distract herself, Sakura began listening to Sai's offensive babbling. It was more benign than Naruto's silence at that moment.

Night came, and this time Sakura laid her bedroll near Naruto's but left a reasonable chunk of distance between them. He still wasn't speaking to her; he wouldn't even look at her, and that was really starting to piss her off.

But what could she do? Wop him on the head with her pillow and demand to know what the problem was? Not unless she wanted everyone else in the middle of their business as well. Instead, she laid awake, eyes burning a hole into his back until she got an idea. Could she really do that? _Hell, yes!_ Inner Sakura encouraged.

Sakura started with her breasts. Her hand slid into her shirt, tugged the bindings down, and brushed lightly over her nipples. The flesh instantly tightened, and she allowed the barest whisper of a sigh to escape her lips as she repeated the action. There was no visible reaction from Naruto, but that was okay. She was just getting started.

Sakura rolled onto her back. It probably sounded like she was trying to get comfortable, she imagined, and slid her other hand into her shorts. Her knees parted to allow a little more access, and as her fingers went to work teasing herself, she didn't have to force the slight hitch in her breath.

Beside her, Naruto shifted; she could hear it but didn't dare look. Not yet. Instead, she sped up her ministrations. A shaky sigh caused more movement from her teammate's bedroll, and she fought not to smile. Sakura was certain she had his attention then. Fingers rubbed vigorously as she squirmed and tried not to make too much noise.

When she was about to climax, Sakura turned her head toward Naruto and stubbornly held his gaze as she brought herself to orgasm.

--

And he wasn't speaking to her again. Why was she surprised? Looking back, what she had done probably looked a bit like rubbing it in his face. But it had also been an invitation. Why couldn't he see that? She sighed, knowing she couldn't exactly expect him to know what she wanted when she herself didn't really know.

When they broke for lunch, Sakura sat quietly biding her time until an opportunity presented itself. Then she pounced, surprising him as he pissed behind a tree (and nearly getting some on her feet for her trouble.)

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded as he hastily zipped his pants.

"You want to touch me when I'm asleep, but you won't when I ask you to. You're not one of those weirdoes who aren't turned on unless everything's crazy are you?"

His mouth opened and closed a couple of times before any sound actually came out. "I… _what?..._ No."

"Well, good," Sakura replied as she stepped closer. His back was planted firmly against the tree he'd just been peeing on, and she decided it would be best to not think about that. "So what exactly is the problem?"

He was silent for a long moment, his brow furrowed as his eyes trained on hers the same way they'd done last night as she'd bit her lip and tried not to squeal. Goosebumps erupted over her back, and it was hard not to shiver.

When Naruto finally opened his mouth to respond, the sound of footsteps followed immediately by Sai's less than endearing nicknames of Ugly and Pencil-dick diverted their attention.

"We're leaving. You can make out later."

Sakura gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to hurl a kunai at the back of Sai's head as they followed him back to Yamato.

She spent the rest of the day wondering what Naruto had been about to say.

As night fell, they found a spot to set up camp as usual and ate in relative silence. Tomorrow they'd be back in Konoha giving their accounts of events to Tsunade-sama. Sai seemed to be the only one looking forward to it.

Shortly after, the four were preparing to go to sleep and Sakura found herself once again wondering what was going on between herself and her teammate. It would've been so much easier to have just pretended like nothing had happened that first night (morning really) of the mission. Things could've gone back to the way they were. She almost snorted at the thought. Even _if_ they could've pretended things were normal after that, it was certainly too late for it now.

As she glanced over at Naruto who was lying on his back with one hand behind his head watching her intently, Sakura couldn't say what was pushing her so strongly to do _something_. Maybe she was the one with a flare for the taboo – everything that had happened so far had been in the presence of Yamato and Sai after all. Maybe it was out of need to get back at Sasuke just a little, hurt him as he'd hurt them. To stand up and scream, "Look, we don't need you," instead of silently watching him walk away as they'd done because the shock and pain wouldn't allow any different. It would be a lie, she knew, but it would still feel good to say it, all things considered.

Or maybe it was nothing more than the challenge Naruto's rejection presented. Sakura didn't know; this wasn't the type of thing they taught at the academy or in her medical training. All she knew for certain was the way her insides seemed to come to life when he looked at her right then.

When she lied down this time, her eyes stayed on him the entire time, from start to finish for both of them.

--

Entering the gates of Konoha once again was a bit like a dream for Sakura. It was familiar and yet, different somehow. It looked different, it _felt_ different, but the only thing she could put a finger on was the air of uncertainty looming over her that she'd never expected.

Their mission – while officially, it had been carried out perfectly – was nothing but a failure in her mind. Sasuke wasn't with them. Would she ever see him again? She had the distinct feeling she would, but when and how were questions she didn't wish to contemplate just then.

And there was Naruto. What they'd shared the night before, even though they hadn't touched or even spoken, had been nothing but deeply intimate. The openness in his face right before he came had been so intense she'd had to close her eyes a moment just to reign in her emotions.

Now that they were home, would this become a dirty, little secret they'd never speak of? Something they chalked off as mission stress?

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice cut through her thoughts like the sharpened blade of a katana.

"Hmm?"

"You've been staring at that tree for over a minute," he replied, a hint of worry in his voice. "Come on. I'll buy you some ramen after we're done talkin' to the old hag."

His usual smile was in place and only slightly forced. Sakura found herself smiling back and nodding, her troublesome thoughts, for the time being anyway, left back at the old, knotted tree.

--

On the surface, nothing had changed. Not really. They were older now, but that mattered little when they'd been thirteen going on thirty before. What did that make them now, she wondered, sixteen going on sixty? Sakura choked on her noodles at the thought.

Naruto slapped her back a few times – it was the first time he'd touched her since that night she'd asked him to – then teased her about not knowing how to properly eat ramen. She bonked him on the head with her fist (not hard enough to do any damage, of course) and told him the only thing needed to eat ramen was teeth and even that was questionable.

He laughed loudly, eyes scrunched shut and lots of teeth showing just like always. Except it wasn't like before, not to her. It felt different just like the village did earlier, like looking at something through a new filter (or maybe getting rid of an old one she hadn't known she'd been using.) There was an underlying meaning now to every little glance, every grin buzzed with a tangible energy only they seemed to notice.

"So what happens now?" he asked suddenly, and Sakura let out a long breath.

"What now?" she echoed as if asking her Inner Self the same question.

She still didn't know what was happening exactly. If this was just the natural progression of things or the biggest mistake of her life. She still didn't understand why Naruto had reacted so strangely to her advance that night. It was all backwards and twisted and _weird_. He'd had his hand inside her panties yet had never kissed her. A week ago the idea of kissing him would've given her an aneurysm.

Sakura giggled then as she hopped off her seat at Ichiraku. "Right now I'm going to go home and take a bath. Then I'm going to bed." She stood there oddly for a moment, biting her lip before finally making a decision. She left after pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

--

Before crawling into her bed that night, Sakura peered out through the open curtains of her bedroom window, and when she saw Naruto grinning hopefully at her from one of the larger branches of the tree outside, she knew their game was far from over.

--

The End


End file.
